Fire smolders under the frost between them.Can the Ice Maiden Soften the Granite Earl?
Her scandalous birth prevents Matilda Grenford from being fully acceptable to Society, even though she has been a ward of the Duchess of Haverford since she was a few weeks old. Matilda does not expect to be wooed by a worthy gentleman. The only man who has ever interested her gave her an outrageous kiss a year ago and has avoided her ever since.
Can the Granite Earl Melt the Ice Maiden?
Charles, the Earl of Hamner is honour bound to ignore his attraction to Matilda Grenford. She is an innocent and a lady, and in every way worthy of his respect—but she is base-born. His ancestors would rise screaming from their graves if he made her his countess. But he cannot forget the kiss they once shared.
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Meet Matilda Grenford from Melting Matilda
If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
I would spend the day with dear friends who like me for myself, and who do not judge me worthless because my mother was an Irish actress and the mistress of a duke. Perhaps we would take a picnic into the country somewhere, away from the smoke, odour, and noise of London. It would be summer, of course, on my free day, and sunny. We would walk and talk, laugh together, perhaps sit in the shade and read books. Perhaps cut some flowers or even plant a few seeds. That would be a perfect day.If you could spend the day with someone you admire (living or dead or imaginary), who would you pick?
How odd. The first person I thought of was the Earl of Hamner. I suppose I do think well of his devotion to his duty and to his mother, and I have nothing to say against his appearance. But admire him? He is pompous and deceitful. He made me think he liked me, and then he proposed to my friend Lady Felicity. I would pick Aunt Eleanor, the Duchess of Haverford, perhaps, who gave me a home as a baby, even though her husband was my father. Or my half-brother, the Marquis of Aldridge, who is a true gentleman, though people do call him a rake.What is your idea of perfect happiness? And, what is your current state of mind?
True happiness would be a home and family of my own, with a husband who respected and loved me, and the work to do that I am trained for—running a large household, caring for servants and tenants, raising children who will be respected in their turn, giving a helping hand to the poor and unfortunate. Perhaps, after all, I would have been better raised in a working class home, where my birth would not be a constant barrier to the life I was taught to desire. My brother promises that I will always be welcome in his home, but it makes me sad that I am likely to never have a home of my own.What do you consider to be the most overrated virtue and why?
Surely any virtue can become a vice if pushed too far. Courage, for example, can become rashness. Ambition can turn into greed and pride. Our society values detachment and self-discipline, and these are good things in moderation, but taken to excess, as they easily are, they foster hypocrisy. People show you a mask behind which they hide their emotions so that you never know the truth about them.Tell us 3 things about yourself that the readers do not know about.
• I like to garden. At most of my family’s country estates, I have my own area of ground that I have planned, and in which I can potter. Since we seldom stay in one location for longer than a few weeks, I must leave others to care for my gardens in my absence.• When I was little, I used to be afraid of the dark. My nurse must have mentioned it to Aldridge, for Aldridge had a dragon made for me out of fur and cloth, and gave it to me, telling me that it would protect me in the night, and that I could always count on him if I was in danger.
• I have always wanted to meet my mother. I feel disloyal to Aunt Eleanor even thinking it, so I have never mentioned it aloud. She went back to Ireland to marry. I wonder if she has had more children? I wonder if she ever thinks about me?
Meet Charles, Earl of Hamner from Melting Matilda
If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
My idea day would be spent in the country, at my estate in Gloustershire. If I did not have an obligation to serve my king in the House of Lords, I would never come to London, and I do not much like other big towns and cities, either. Perhaps, if I had a day off with no responsibilities to the tenants or my estates or Parliament, I might take a fishing rod and a picnic down to the river, and spend the day there, especially if I had a compatible friend along.If you could spend the day with someone you admire (living or dead or imaginary), who would you pick?
Not Matilda Grenford. I admire her, I enjoy her company—she is a lady, through and through, despite her antecedents. Intelligent and charming, too. But nothing can come of it. I must marry someone of the proper lineage to be my countess, and I won’t raise expectations I cannot fulfill. Not again. I suppose one of the great political figures of yesteryear. Robert Walpole, perhaps, or Lord Chatham, or even his son, Pitt the Younger, who was the youngest Prime Minister ever. I met him, once, when I first came up to London. I think he would be interesting to talk with.What is your idea of perfect happiness? And, what is your current state of mind?
True happiness would be a family of my own. At least one son to carry on the family name. A wife who is a true helpmate, looking after my household and the community for which we are responsible, and perhaps hosting the dinners and other entertainments—in the country and in Town—at which so many of the alliances are made on which government depends. I have been actively looking for such a wife, but the only woman I have proposed to me said no, and the woman I dream of is not suitable.What do you consider to be the most overrated virtue and why?
Overrated? How can a virtue be overrated? The virtues are the underpinnings of our society, and it is the lack of them that causes problems.Tell us 3 things about yourself that the readers do not know about.
• When I was young, before I knew what it meant to be an earl, I dreamt of being a poet. I don’t have time for the nonsense now, of course.• A stable hand taught me to whittle when I was boy, and I still like to do so. I find it easy to think when my hands are busy carving little objects.
• Sometimes, I think about doing something reckless and outrageous, like driving my curricle too fast, or giving some of the powerful but nasty gossips in Society the cut direct, or kissing Miss Grenford again. But doing so is not consistent with the dignity of the Earl of Hamner.
Meet Jude Knight
Jude always wanted to be a novelist. She started in her teens, but life kept getting in the way. Years passed, and with them dozens of unfinished manuscripts. The fear grew. What if she tried, failed, and lost the dream forever? The years since 2014 have brought 10 novels, 13 novella, 4 volumes of short stories, 3 awards, and hundreds of positive reviews. The dream is alive.
Thank you for hosting my star-crossed lovers, Debdatta. I'm thrilled to be here with your readers.
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